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Ever drive down a back road in the middle of the night and think to yourself, “wow, this street really needs a few lights?” I recently went on a road trip and thought exactly that, going down a windy backroad that had new blacktop, no striping, in the rain, and zero lighting. It was definitely a white knuckle drive through that area. Maybe not fully illuminated, but an occasional light, especially on the sharper curves, would have been great!
Many rural areas like that do not have the necessary power lines available to install typical electrical lights. Instead of leaving these areas in the dark, making it difficult for travelers at night and unsafe for anyone walking, riding a bike, or other activities. These locations should have some illumination, even if minimal. This leaves solar cell street lights to be the best option. Here's why:
Standard Electricity Not Required
Solar-powered street lights charge during the day with the power of the sun and do not require any power from the traditional grid. The street lights then automatically turn on at dusk and can be sized to run all night for optimum safety for everyone on the streets. Since rural areas don’t require bright lighting, lower wattages are able to be used to reduce the system sizing, and could even reduce further in the late part of the night. Using lower CRI lights, like 3K or 4K, will be easier in the eyes of travelers as well.
No Additional Energy Costs
Since the lights get all their power from the sun, there are no additional electrical costs for the city, county, or local residences. LEDs are now the most popular source of lighting, especially with solar lighting systems, so maintenance has been reduced to once every five to seven years, lowering maintenance costs.
Lower Installation Costs
Since solar cell street lighting systems do not require the trenching of wires to bring in the electricity to each pole, they are able to reduce the overall costs for installation. Instead, just setting the pole is all that is required, whether that is setting a direct burial pole or a concrete base for an anchor base pole, installation is quite easy. Plus, all the wiring is low voltage and is located at the top of the pole, making the wiring of the system quite easy for the installer.
Improved Safety
The improvement of visibility will provide additional safety for everyone on the road. This will lead to fewer accidents and less fatigue when driving down dark roads. No more straining of the eyes to see into the black void ahead. Now drivers can see further ahead of just their headlights, giving them more advanced awareness of obstacles and hazards, allowing them to navigate the roads much safer.
Given the many benefits of solar cell street lights, we may one day see all roads lit up with solar. The improved safety of travelers along these back roads is very important and solar LED lighting systems can play a huge part in this success. Next time you see an area that is in need of some illumination, contact your local representative and see what can be done to shine some light on the problem.
Img Credit: One Eyeland